Remarks by President Obama at the University of Queensland

November 15, 2014

PRESIDENT OBAMA: Thank you so much! (Applause.) Thank you! Thank you, everybody.
Everybody, please have a seat. Hello, Brisbane! Its good to be back in Australia. I love Australia -- I
really do. The only problem with Australia is every time I come here Ive got to sit in conference rooms
and talk to politicians instead of go to the beach. (Laughter.)
On my last visit to this magnificent country three years ago, I had the privilege to meet some of the First
Australians; were joined by some today. So I want to begin by acknowledging the Traditional Owners of
this land and by paying my respects to your elders, past and present.
Part of the reason I have fond memories of Australia is I spent some time here as a boy when I was
traveling between Hawaii and Indonesia, where I lived for several years. And when I returned three years
ago as President, I had the same feelings that I remembered as a child -- the warmth of the people of
Australia, the sense of humor. I learned to speak a little strine. (Laughter.)
But I do want to take this opportunity to express once again the gratitude of the American people for the
extraordinary alliance with Australia. I tell my friends and family and people that I meet that there is an
incredible commonality between Australia and the United States.
Now, this week, Ive traveled more than 15,000 miles -- from America to China to Burma to Australia. I
have no idea what time it is right now. (Laughter.) Im completely upside down. But despite that
distance, we know that our world is getting smaller. One of Australias great writers spoke of this -- a son
of Brisbane and a graduate of this university, David Malouf. And he said, In that shrinking of distance
that is characteristic of our contemporary world, even the Pacific, largest of oceans, has become a lake.
Even the Pacific has become a lake. This is a global city in a globalized world.
And I often tell young people in America that, even with todays challenges, this is the best time in history
to be alive. Never in the history of humanity have people lived longer, are they more likely to be healthy,
more likely to be enjoying basic security. The world is actually much less violent today. You wouldnt
know it from watching television that it once was.
And thats true here in the Asia Pacific as well. Countries once ravaged by war, like South Korea and
Japan, are among the worlds most advanced economies. From the Philippines to Indonesia, dictatorships
have given way to genuine democracies. In China and across the region, hundreds of millions of people
have been lifted from poverty in the span of one generation, joining a global middle class. Empowered
by technology, you -- the young people in particular of this region -- are connecting and collaborating
across borders and cultures like never before as you seek to build a new future. So the opportunities today
are limitless.
But what is also true, is that alongside this dynamism, there are genuine dangers that can undermine
progress. And we cant look at those problems through rose-tinted glasses. North Koreas nuclear and
missile programs -- thats a problem. Disputes over territory, remote islands and rocky shoals that
threaten to spiral into confrontation.
The failure to uphold universal human rights, denying justice to citizens and denying countries their full
potential. Economic inequality and extreme poverty that are a recipe for instability. And energy demands
in growing cities that also hasten trends towards a changing climate. Indeed, the same technologies that
empower citizens like you also give oppressive regimes new tools to stifle dissent.
So the question that we face is, which of these futures will define the Asia Pacific in the century to come?
Do we move towards further integration, more justice, more peace? Or do we move towards disorder and
conflict? Those are our choices -- conflict or cooperation? Oppression or liberty?
So thats the future we can build together. Thats the commitment America is making in the Asia Pacific.
Its a partnership not just with nations, but with people, with you, for decades to come. Bound by the
values we share, guided by the vision we seek, I am absolutely confident we can advance the security and
the prosperity and the dignity of people across this region. And in pursuit of that future, you will have no
greater friend than the United States of America.
So thank you very much. God bless Australia. (Applause.) God bless America. God bless our great
alliance. Thank you.